


The Legacy of Loki

by Loki Laufeyson (KingLoki)



Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Dubious Consent, F/M, Gambling, Prostitution, Slavery, Tasertricks Meet Victorian England, This will be a regular Victorian love affair
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-26 06:13:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2641109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingLoki/pseuds/Loki%20Laufeyson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elias Lewis is a respectable man with a good reputation… until something happens to indebt him to the noble Odinson family. Their children, Darcy and Loki, get caught up in a tangle of honour, seedy foreign interests, and old customs. Victorian AU loosely inspired by Jane Austen's <em>Mansfield Park</em>. [Rated for future chapters].</p><p> </p><p>  <b>Temporary hiatus; will likely be updated in the summer of 2017.</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Legacy of Loki

**Author's Note:**

> First off, this was originally a prompt for: [droit du seigneur](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit_du_seigneur).
> 
> Secondly, this story contains themes of **gambling, prostitution, and slavery**. These are somewhat background, but given the turbid social issues in the early Victorian years, I just wanted to warn everyone. There will also be some **dubious consent** later down the line.
> 
> Third, if any of this reads familiar to anyone, it's because I once wrote this for the HP fandom under a different pseudonym; but as my muse there has unfortunately perished, I thought it would make a really great Tasertricks story. I hope you love the idea as much as I do. :D

Tucked away in a village of little consequence, there lived a clergyman and his family.  
  
Mr Elias Jacob Lewis was ever the epitome of politeness. He was well respected in the village and his wife was a kind soul who enjoyed social events as well as visiting the poor. They were parents to two children: Darcy and Camilla Lewis.  
  
Their daughter was on the verge of adulthood and still unsure of her path, but she was a kind girl who, like her mother, enjoyed working with people. She was also a protective elder sister to Camilla, a delightful eight-year-old with plenty of spirit.  
  
For as long as they had been settled in the village of Worksop, the Lewises had lived a peaceful and rather ordinary life. However, as it usually happens during an extended moment of peace, chaos was not far behind.  
  
***  
  
"What's happening is not right," Elias Lewis declared emphatically.  
  
"And what do you propose we should do about it?" General Thanos sat back in his chair, his arms crossed tightly against his chest. He was a towering, muscular man; rough around the edges and generally unpleasant. However, Elias was left with few options, which eventually turned into desperation. This man would get the job done.  
  
"I had heard about your… well, _history_ , and thought it might come in useful for a case such as this."  
  
A smile that could only be described as wicked crossed Thanos's face. He lowered his arms to the old worn desk in front of him, leaning forward in interest. "Is that so?" he said, his tone suddenly oily. "Pray, Reverend, do go on."  
  
Elias suppressed a shudder and sat a little straighter in his chair. "Your involvement in the Wars, and prior to that, your connection with The Revolution."  
  
It was a well-kept public secret that Thanos had been a fierce supporter of The French Revolution. In fact, not only had he supported the position of the people, he was also a weathered soldier for the cause. A collection of scars and burn marks decorated his body in a gruesome tale that was whispered behind hands and passed from citizen to citizen whenever the opportunity presented itself. His revolutionist position earned him a devoted following of equally fierce men who called themselves 'The Hive'. Lesser known to most were their dealings in numerous unsavoury interests thanks to the aftermath of The Revolution. Gambling and extortion were only a couple of accomplishments on Thanos's roster. A supporter of the people though he may have been, power had corrupted him and turned him extremist, so that now he focused his efforts on the abolition of slavery — in the most heinous manner possible.  
  
"Ah yes, so you've had the good fortune of hearing about my conquests. And you thought, what, that my men and I would fight for this cause?"  
  
Elias's brow furrowed before he leaned forward, coming to a whisper. "I assumed that you supported —"  
  
"Assumptions!" laughed Thanos. "Mr Lewis, you should know where assumptions will lead you." His raspy chuckle grated on Elias's ears, but he didn't back down. Thanos was rumoured to sense fear and latch on mercilessly.  
  
"Poor choice of words. Hope, then. I had _hoped_ that you would assist me. I only want what's good for the people."  
  
Thanos's eyes narrowed as he took in Elias Lewis's posture, his appearance, his tone of voice. All seemed to convey his sincerity, and Thanos loved nothing more than a passionate cause.  
  
"All right," he said, "but on one condition. You place no restrictions on me and my men. We work on our own terms. If you agree and then back out… may the Lord grant you mercy." He held his massive hand out to seal the deal.  
  
For a moment, Elias felt a stab of fear in the pit of his stomach. He could only imagine what he'd gotten himself into. He couldn't look back, though, not when he was so close to a solution in the county. He, along with other members of the clergy, had agreed that abolition needed to happen sooner rather than later. The Slave Trade Act wasn't being enforced strongly enough, so this was his final option; the very last resort.  
  
"Agreed." Elias firmly gripped Thanos's hand and they shook once, abruptly. There was no turning back now.  
  
***  
  
Fate, as it happened, was not on Elias Lewis's side. Word of Thanos's extortion of local Lords reached his ears and he began to panic. The Lords of the county were powerful men who would exact their anger on the people if Elias's name, as a member of the clergy, should be connected with Thanos. Although the Enlightenment had spread throughout England, there were plenty of social and financial ways to slay a man.  
  
Left with little choice once more, Elias sought out the most powerful member of nobility in the county of Nottinghamshire: Lord Odin Borrson, the Duke of Nottingham.  
  
***  
  
Lord Odin was a well-known investor in the West Indies. Barbados, specifically, was home to several of his plantations that still utilised slaves as a labour force. Years before, when Freyja, the Countess of Winchester, sought out Baldr as a suitor, Odin combined forces with her brother Freyr and they became trade partners in the West Indies. In recent times, with slavery being threatened, the two nobles involved themselves in a prostitution ring that was based in Barbados and, at present, in the heart of London.  
  
While Odin's name remained mostly unmarred, Freyr's connection to prostitution had been uncovered and targeted by Thanos and The Hive. So when Elias Lewis sought Odin out, it was in the noble's best interest to help the clergyman.  
  
"I understand your situation," Odin nodded while stroking his jaw in thought. "What an unfortunate thing, to be connected with such a man. You do understand, however, that my own interests will not be touched should I assist you in dissolving your connections with Thanos."  
  
Again Elias found himself in a difficult position. He wasn't privy to all of the nobleman's dealings, but he was well aware of his plantations in the West Indies. It was with reluctance that he sighed and tried a different tack.  
  
"My Lord, may I suggest an alternate proposition?"  
  
At the tilt of Odin's head, Elias continued: "Thanos, although once a man of the people, has clearly become a radical. My suggestion, Lord Odin, is that we take him completely out of the equation."  
  
"Out of the equation? Coming from the mouth of a clergyman? Mr Lewis, I've misjudged you." Odin's severe tone was belied by the beginnings of a smirk.  
  
"Please, my Lord, do not misunderstand me! I merely meant that his means of power should be removed. For the good of the people, he cannot continue to be a threat."  
  
The clergyman's pleading tone made Odin pause in further contemplation. He pushed away from his seat and signalled a servant over.  
  
"Drink?" Even though Elias shook his head, the nobleman ordered two drinks anyway. Serious business needed to be coupled with proper spirits. He paced the length of the room before coming to a stand in front of the clergyman.  
  
"Mr Lewis," he started, "as a member of the clergy, it is surely in your best interest to protect the people you serve?"  
  
Although worried about what the Duke might say next, Elias confirmed his statement with a confident, "Yes, my Lord."  
  
"Naturally, my best interest is also to protect the people. Your people are my people, are they not?" A nod, and he continued, "In light of that revelation, let us come to another conclusion —"  
  
The servant returned with two glasses, interrupting Odin's thought. He quickly dismissed the man after passing a glass to the reluctant clergyman.  
  
"Nothing like a good, strong brandy to aid in discussions."  
  
Lord Odin's tone brooked no argument, but Elias had no intention of imbibing. When the nobleman took a sip of his drink, Elias made to take a drink from his as well. It burned his closed mouth just like the anxiety over this conversation lashed at his insides. This wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. Odin Borrson's reputation was that of a stone wall: unyielding and impenetrable. But he was still the best option for the situation. A strong name and an equally powerful circle of influence could go a long way in ridding the county of Thanos and his Hive.  
  
"As I was saying, we both protect the interests of the people. I am willing to use my means to take care of Thanos, but my involvement does not come without a price. That price, Mr Lewis, is my youngest son. Lord Loki is a conniving, improperly wilful young man. He needs to be put in his place, to learn that he has responsibilities to the people, and not only his own interests; responsibilities which even his eldest brother has already accepted with grace. 'Thor shall be the ruin of young women everywhere,' they said, but look at my success! I wish to continue this trend. Thus, a new proposition."  
  
The following moment of silence had Elias on the edge of his seat. How could a nobleman's son possibly influence things? What could he even add to the situation, aside from another nobleman to deal with? Likely a spoilt nobleman, at that, from the sound of it. But Elias held his tongue. His hand tightened on the glass as he waited for Odin to continue.  
  
Sensing the anxiety in the clergyman, Odin smiled a little smugly. One of the perks of being a member of nobility was the power such a title afforded him. He drew the moment out a little longer as he returned to his plush seat.  
  
"To temper my son’s mischievous ways and to teach him responsibility, I would like to call upon the old tradition, droit du seigneur. As I understand it, you have two children?"  
  
Elias suddenly sat up in his chair, starting to shake his head before he caught himself. "My Lord, I have heard of this right. But my children… I have a very young daughter. She cannot possibly —"  
  
"That hardly presents a problem. My son will not seek out dalliances with children. Your eldest?"  
  
Caught by surprise, Elias stuttered his reply: "Y-yes my Lord, I have an eldest daughter, Darcy. She turned seventeen this past March."  
  
"Perfect!" Odin clapped his hands together in satisfaction, and then finished his brandy with a flourish. "Then let us agree upon these terms, and Thanos shall no longer be a problem."  
  
Coming to a stand once more, Odin held his bejewelled hand out.  
  
The clergyman’s gaze caught on a signet ring sitting on the Duke’s right pinkie finger. Despite the somewhat low natural light, it shimmered in all of its glory. Much like the nobleman himself, who was so sure and confident.  
  
Elias wished with every fibre of his being that he could argue; could present any other option; alas, he was out of options. Lord Odin was the only one who could help, and should he turn to any other nobleman with his prior-made deal with someone like Thanos, he would run the risk of disrepute.  
  
Taking a steadying breath, Elias stood and clasped the outstretched hand, acutely aware that he was sealing his daughter’s fate, too.


End file.
